Willie Penrose TD

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Money wasted HSE computer would have completed Longford/Westmeath Hosp twice

Issued : Tuesday 4 October, 2005

The shameful waste of a staggering €150m being spent on the HSE computer system that does not work is all the more so when you consider the outrageous delays in completing the Longford/Westmeath General Hospital, Mullingar. What is even worse is that this wasted taxpayers money would have completed the hospital twice,” Labour’s Deputy for Westmeath, Deputy Willie Penrose has said.

“The €150m frittered away on a computer system would have been better spent ensuring the hospital could be opened. There is a massive human cost to this fiasco, how many operations could have proceeded or hospital wards reopened with this money? The trail of this utterly shocking waste of money can be traced back through three Ministers who each held the health brief. Was there no voice of reason at any stage to speak out against the substantial rising costs of the computer system, obviously not.

“Less than half of this amount would have completed works at the Longford/Westmeath General Hospital. Among the important health services and facilities to be provided at the hospital include an operating department, general medical ward, rehabilitation unit, child and adolescent psychiatric unit, occupational therapy department, education facilities, general surgical ward and an acute psychiatric unit. The provision of these services in the area would have made such an impact and there is a very real anger from the taxpayer at this waste of money.

“I have said it before but the people of Longford and Westmeath will not take the delay being imposed on the roll out of the hospital lying down. They will not tolerate money-wasting exercises while they wait on essential health services. They have already taken to the streets in spectacular numbers to demonstrate against being provided with an under resourced, understaffed and overstretched health service.

“There can be no more excuses, no more delays in completing the Longford/Westmeath General Hospital, particularly not when we hear of astronomical wastes of money such as this €150m wasted on a computer system that does not work.”